NASA Aerogel Could be Modified to Clean Up Oil Spill

Arizona and Ohio scientists are working to modify NASA aerogel to absorb oil from spills and stop pollutants from reaching the environment. NASA areogel has been used to capture comet dust in space but may well provide earthbound pollution solutions.

Sometimes called ‘frozen smoke,’ NASA aerogel technology was originally developed at Case Western Reserve University and is being re-engineered to float on the surface of polluted water to absorb oil. Oil could then be safely squeezed out of the saturated aerogel.